How to make Goats Milk Soap Using Farm Fresh Goat’s Milk

Goats milk soap is a very popular soap to make. You can make it with either fresh goat’s milk or you can use goat’s milk powder. The milk adds a creaminess to the soap and the sugars in the milk add to bubbly lather. Here is how to make soap using fresh goat’s milk. You can also use this method using other types of milk including coconut, hemp, almond, soy or even cow milk.

The main concern with making goats milk soap is overheating of the milk/lye solution or overheating in the mold. When the lye solution overheats you can get scorched milk which means it will darken and even speckle your soap. When the soap in the mold overheats you can get all kinds of issues including mushrooming, separation, cracking or other issues. (Take a look at my troubleshooting page to see what some of these issues look like.)

To keep the lye solution nice and cool I start with frozen goat’s milk. As you sprinkle on the lye…it melts the goat’s milk gently without getting too hot. I also set the lye solution in an ice bath.

Goat Milk Soap Recipe

First we create the lye solution. My goat’s milk is frozen in plastic freezer bags.

Take the frozen milk out of the bags and chop into smaller pieces.

Weigh the required amount. I like to put a splash of water with the goat’s milk to start the lye dissolving. You don’t need much; I used about an ounce.

Create an ice water bath by putting ice cubes and water into a bowl big enough to set your lye container into (red bowl above). Sprinkle about 1/4 of your lye and start mixing. One of the cool thing about soaping with milk is that you don’t get the fumes like you do when making a lye solution with water. I have no idea why…but you don’t. Its important to sprinkle your lye while mixing and not dumping it entirely into the goat’s milk. If you just dump it, it can create crusty lye clumps that are hard to dissolve because there is not initially enough liquid to dissolve it all at once. Some of these lye clumps can go without getting dissolved and end up in your finished soap. You don’t want that! So start with sprinkling about 1/4 of the lye and mix mix mix. It will start melting the goat’s milk.

Once it melts a bit, add another 1/4 of the lye and mix some more. Do this until you have completely mixed in the lye. Please note that your lye solution can turn bright yellow! This is a bit shocking, but it is normal.

Put your lye solution aside. I keep it in the cold water bath and just set it in the sink.

After reading this book you’ll be able to make decadent goat milk soap for your family and friends. Goat Milk Soapmaking includes:

Full color, step-by-step Instructions for making soap using any type of milk. Goat milk is the most popular but you can use these directions for making camel milk soap, cow milk soap or even a vegan milk soap such as almond milk soap.

Essential oil blends to get you started with choosing how to scent your goat milk soap.

24 natural goat milk soap recipes with essential oil blends for scent and natural colorants and additives to make each unique.

Helpful resources including common soapmaking terms, abbreviations and a supplier list.

Let’s prepare the oils.

Melt the hard oils. This includes the coconut oil and the shea butter.

Add the liquid oils to the melted oils. Adding the liquid oils to the melted oils helps to bring the temperature down. If we were to measure out all of the oils (liquid and solid) and then melt…the temperature of the total mixture would be hot and we’d have to wait to bring the temps down. It is unnecessary to heat the liquid oils along with the solid ones.

Once we have the oils ready…its time to make soap! You can add your fragrance to the melted oils. I used a bit of litsea and tea tree essential oils. The litsea tinted the soap a bit towards yellow.

Give the lye solution a good stir. You can see there are some globs in it. Milk contains fat so this is a bit of that fat turning into soap. I like to give it a good whisk to break the globs up a bit…but I’m sure the stick blender does that as well.

Add the lye solution to the oils.

Bring the mixture to trace.

Pour into your molds. I’m using a couple of Bramble Berry silicone loaf molds and trying out their new sphere mold. You can use any type of molds that you want but realize that larger volume loaf or block molds will hold more heat and can cause your soap to overheat. You can even put your molds in the fridge or freezer to help keep the in-mold temps down but mine were fine as they were.

Un-mold 24 hours later, slice into bars and cure for 4 or more weeks. When you first cut the soap it can have an ammonia type of smell. It should go away after a couple of days. (So don’t think you did something wrong! It’s normal.)

The sphere mold – I was trying this mold out for the first time. The soap did not gel and its a softer recipe so I was a bit concerned with un-molding. Because the inside of the mold is smooth as glass, I had no issues with the soap sticking. It un-molded beautifully and created some super smooth, super cute round soaps! I can’t wait to use it again. I guess if I were concerned enough…I could have put it in the freezer first but I didn’t have any issues. It created 3.6 oz soap balls which will probably cure to be about 3.5 oz. They fit nicely in the hand.

A special thank you to my friend Donna and her sweet goats for the milk.

159 Comments

HI Amanda
I’ve done all the instructions and my soap is oozing in the middle
Is this indicative of partial gel or a problem mixing
I’ve never under beat any soap mixture before so I don’t know if there is any chance of any other reason for this to happen
Thanks!

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I’m very fascinated with beauty soap. I found your soap recipe especially organic soap and Goat’s milk soap vwith different oils very interesting; yet to fabricate on my own. I used my college chemistry for saponification reaction with alkali reacting with acid to form fine soap. I remember some soft soaps, maybe potassium oleate soap. Sodium soaps are hard soaps. I was checking and couldn’t find any material anywhere but I’m great with sodium hydroxide lye.

I love this recipe! I have made it 3 or 4 times and it has always turned out perfectly. I use 40 drops each lavender and tea tree and 20 drops eucalyptus. Just unmolded a batch from last night and the whole house smells amazing! Thank you for this recipe. Is there a way to share a picture of the soap i made?

“” You can use any type of molds that you want but realize that larger volume loaf or block molds will hold more heat and can cause your soap to overheat. ””
Can you explain a bit what you mean by this? If it’s set to cooling, how can it overheat? I might be missing something or didn’t understand. lol

I just made a batch of this soap…I have made many batches from this recipe but, I look down at the soap in the containers and the cover layer looks grained….now maybe I am just looking more than normal or just noticing it more than normal…is that normal or did my Lye not resolve enough? Will it matter? I had the Lye at 80 degrees and the oil’s at 83 prior to combined and mixing? HELP! Just in case PS I have done this recipe a 100 times and all have turned out just fine-perfect actually!

Hi Amanda, is it possible that there are no lye fumes with this method because we are pouring the lye on ice? I read that cold temperatures can reduce the fumes.
Fantastic info and tutorials .. thanks!

Hi sis . Tq for this tutorial. I am from indo. Then may i know this recipi to translate to GRAm . Then if i make 500g oil.is evo oil 300gram 100g palm oil 100g vco then how much for goatmilk n lye sis.

Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. We do not have great power supply and getting ice or freezing the milk can be an issue. Is it possible to divide my water amount in 2, mix the lye in one half and allow to cool, then mix powdered goat milk in the other half and add them up after the lye-water solution is cool? Thank you once again.

I am sooo happy! This is the first soap recipe I’ve ever tried and it turned out! Suds up, is moisturizing, and works so well! I cut the recipe in half and 12 inch by 12 inch by .5 inch pan, I just made everything into the ounces on the measuring cup since the scale I was using was broken. It didn’t produce any fumes but I did put it in an ice bath when I started adding lye. I’m definitely going to make this again and I’ll play around with coloring it a little. Thank you for the recipe!

I had read that you are not supposed to gel goats milk soap because it could discolor from the heat so I always put my soaps in the freezer overnight. I have been a bit leery of experimenting with this. I gather from reading the post that you do gel yours. What are your thoughts on this?

It is a matter of preference if you decide to let your goat milk soap go through the gel phase or not. I usually let mine but on occasions I do put it into the freezer if I wish for it to not turn a darker shade.

Hey Amanda,
Thanks for the recipe!
I just wonder what is the diameter of your sphere mold?
I’ve saw them in online shoping sites but always not sure about the size is enough for making about 100 gr soap. Yours seems enough.
I will appreciate if you can help me. Thanks.

Help! My goat milk soap turned into mashed potatoes even before I got to use the stick blender. What did I do wrong? Was my lye milk mixture too cool? (I had a tough time getting it up to 70-80 degrees!!) Or were my oils too hot? I think they were closer to 90 degrees.
This has never happened to me before. I’ve always used defrosted milk, adding lye a little at a time til it reaches 85 degrees. I’ve never before used frozen milk to mix lye in…….Hmmm…..any ideas?

What is your superfat percentage for this recipe? I wanted to change it to fit the amount of oils for my molds and wanted to run it thru soapcalc. I did a 2:1 water:lye ratio like in your recipe, figured out the percentage for each oil, just wasn’t sure on superfat.

I have just made my first batch of soap, but the lye didn’t completely dissolve. The lye crystals settled to the bottom of the mixture and I only realized it when I was pouring it into molds. Should I throw the soap away? why didn’t the lye dissolve?

Hi Amanda, Looks like a great recipe. I saw a few comments asking how to use this recipe if using powdered goats milk. Would I do as you suggested with one reply that suggested to just add the powder to the oils (that was with powdered buttermilk) or do I mix the powdered goats milk with water as powder recipes suggests then freeze into cubes and then add the lye? Also in all my teachings on soap makes thus far I have been told to bring both lye mixture and oils to a temperature of between 120-130 degrees. Is it different with goats milk recipe? I don’t see any temperatures stated.
Thanks so much!!!!

I made some of soap from this recipe, the ones that came out of the molds, I love. My question is, my family gave me some muffins tins to use as molds. I cannot get the soap out of those. It appears I may have to dig it out. My question is, once I get it out can I melt it down again and pour it into the soap molds, I have since purchased? I’m afraid the lye hasn’t cured out of it since it has been in the molds, even though they it has been a couple months since I made the soap. I have asked a friend whom has a friend that also makes soap but haven’t been able to get a answer.
Thank you,

I’ve been making soap for a year, and I must admit as a chemist it’s pretty embarrassing that I’ve never thought of just melting the solid oils and adding the liquid ones AFTER! This will save me so much time!!

Hi – I ran your goat soap recipe through soap cal. I was told to replace the amount of water exactly with same for milk. But the lye calculator called for 24.32 oz. while your recipe only calls for 18 oz – I was told alway use the calculator version – but sounds like many people have used your exact recipe with no problems. But why is there such a difference? THANK YOU

I was wondering when you pour your soap into the molds, do you have to cover it for the next 24 hours? I really don’t want to put the soap in my freezer or fridg. All my soaps I made I would cover it with plastic wrap and towels over that to hold in the heat. I have never made milk soap, so I don’t know if it works the same way.
Thank you.

I was wondering if I could use something else in stead of rice bran oil as I am having a hard time finding it at all natural store like whole foods and other like that. I really don’t want to wait for shipping as I would like to start making this soap right a way. Thank you for your time.

Hi!!! We run a goat farm and have decided to use some of our excess goat milk to make soap! We tried your recipe, but halved all the ingredients as we didn’t have enough molds for it. We even bought a stick blender to speed up the process! 🙂 Unfortunately, for some reason, we reached a “seize” instead of a “trace.” We were stirring with the stick blender for five minutes onwards and the thing just wouldn’t trace! We took a 5 minute break, went back to stirring and suddenly it was clumping up like mashed potatoes!! 🙁 Any idea where we went wrong? Would really appreciate the help!! 🙂

All of my soaps are made with goat’s milk, I freeze my milk in ice cube trays and transfer them to gallon bags for storage. Each “cube” is about and ounce, and it makes it easy to pull out what you need for different size recipes.
Having excess goat milk was how I started making soap to begin with!

HI, just wanted to say that I made this soap yesterday, followed your instructions exactly and have a lovely bar of creamy/yellow (used lemongrass EO) goats milk soap. No erupting or burning. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I love it!

lye and goat milk at very low temp used frozen ice cubes like 40 degrees and the oils are 90 degrees any problems with this ratio. should I heat up the lye in a hot water bath in the sink. thank you farmer jane

Amanda I love your tutorial you make it sound so easy. To my advantage we have plenty of goats on the farm so this recipe will definitely come in handy because sometimes I don’t know what to do with the left over milk after making cheese. Anyway I have a question for you though… Once you start mixing the essential oils etc. for how long do you mix and are you actually heating them up on the stove? If so, for how long and at what temperate? During this step is it safe to add in additional items like (color and scent)??? Thanks.

This may sound silly… but I am completely new to soap making. Can you replace some of the oils (rice bran oil, sweet almon, etc) with essential oils? Or do you have to use essential oils as an additive only?

I just bought the sphere mold because i saw this tutorial. I cant wait to use it for my pumpkin honey soap. i might do a little bit of a water reduction in my lye solution so i can add some buttermilk. i like buttermilk more than goats milk because it leaves my skin smoother. i think its because it is creamier than goats milk. I love BB you guys offer such wonderful products! i have to stay away or else i will end up in the poor house.

Thank you for sharing this tutorial. I’m very much looking forward to trying my hand at soapmaking. I would like to ask you, if you have any suggestions as to what I can replace the coconut oil with, as I am highly allergic to coconut in any form…?
Susanne
Denmark

Hello, Amanda. Sorry, I do not know English, I used the translator.
I really like your soap. It is suitable for 11-month grandson? I have all the ingredients, not only rice oil, I do not buy it. What else should I use? Or omitted, which increased? You recommend me, please, a different recipe for a young child?
Thank you very much, Eva

Hi there! GREAT tutorial. I have a friend who wants me to use her breast milk in soap. Going to use this recipe. Question…how many pounds of soap does this recipe make? If I use a 5 pound mold…will that be okay?
Thanks!

Hi,
i have a blog on Korean website, called naver.com.
Since I’m a soaper I love your blog and learn alot.
While searching for cp soaps on naver.com, I came across a blog that used your images as his own. He even put watermarks on your pictures.
As soon as I saw the post I recognized your posting.
Here’s the blog post- http://netcast2050.blog.me/140206696831
I’ll leave a comment on his blog about copyright infringement.

Good Afternoon, I have a couple of questions. Awesome post – btw! We are definitely trying this recipe! Question: I have read other posts & they say that you can not use your cooking supplies that you used to make the soap – for anything else. Is this true? Or can’t you just put them in the dishwasher?…:) How much do you usually get from one batch?
Thank you so much – in advance! Have a Blessed day – the Kiessling family

Thank you for sharing, love the way your soap looks. The powdered milk do not need to be hydrated before adding to the oils? as oil do not hydrate I will think it is important to add water to the powdered milk before added this to the oils, in your experience …is this necessary? Love your blog I found it very inspirational. Thank you.

hello…. i’m a novice in soap making and willing to try out this interesting recipe although i couldn’t find goats milk at present i have sheeps’ milk instead… was wandering if it could be substituted also can i add mashed fruit in it? or will it have any negetive effect. pls do kindly give substitions for the oils it seems difficult to get some at hand. i truly admire your blog, keep up the good work 🙂

Fantastic tutorial, thank you for sharing. Can you tell me the temps of the oils and the lye mix before you put them together.
Did you put the molds after poring in the fridge? Looking forward to your reply.
regards Marjorie

Thank you so much! I made goats cheese on our farm as well as spun the cashmere, but never thought to make the soap. 🙂 Amazing tutorial. Please let me know if I have the understanding of Trace right. It is bringing the temp of the mixture of the lye and the oils to a temp of 122 degree f. by way of simply letting the lye build its natural heat? I first bring the solid and liquid oils to that temp on stove top? Trace is sort of confusing me. Just like Flash did in cheese making.

Trace is where you mix or use a stick blender and blend all the ingredients together until it becomes the consistency where you are able to trace a line through the mixture and it stays. Be carefull though, trace can come very fast sometimes, it is safer to stop blending as soon as you see a line trace in the liquid.

The amount of liquid called for in a recipe would be the same. Unless you are an advanced soap maker that knows about discounting liquids and lye which I’m not , but I do know whatever liquid you decide to use in a recipe usually stays the same. Hope this helps

Hi Amanda, I would love to make my own soap. I’ve been buying locally made soaps for about 6 months now. Where do you buy your soap making supplies? I noticed in one of your pictures you had big jugs if oils. Also, wonderful tutorial, thanks!

I’m new to soapmaking but for some reason I just seem passionate to find the perfect goat milk soap recipe! Lol I have tried 3recipes so far and they have only cured for about a week but they seem too soft. When I push with my thumb the soap gives. Will they harden with more time or have I just not found the right recipe yet? I have read hundreds of recipes online and now am so confused as which one to use. Maybe this one will be the one!

Love the tutorial! At what temps are you adding the two mixtures together? It seems like everyone has a different theory. Some say mix them when there at the same temp, but the cooler the lye/milk solution is, the whiter the soap stays.

Great blog! I’m Going to try very soon. My question is, when people mention ‘hard oils’, there are included , lard and tallow? I still can’t see the big mystery . It is. Because is less quality ,or better quality. Also I never saw in any soap ingredients tallow, lard or shortening.

I just found a farmer that sells goat’s milk. Do I have to boil it or anything to get it ready for use in this recipe or can I just freeze it straight from the farm and use it right away? (I’m also very new to soap making)

Thank you so much for the recipes, I have been researching for the past 2 weeks to have palm free recipes, Amanda, where did you get does beautiful gorgeous round soap mold, I want some of those for sure.

Second, I have just bought powered goat milk, how do you measure, is it 50% water 50% powder.

This looks like so much fun! I am starting to do some research on soapmaking- I haven’t tackled my first batch yet but I’m really excited. I bet you could freeze the goat milk in ice cube trays. Might be convenient both for measuring and for storage! Thanks for all the great tutorials and resources!

Well, if talking about goat’s milk I have heard about its use in the kitchen as it’s very good for health. And if used in making soaps, I am sure it will prove excellent for skin. I will definitely try this soap out.

I’m new to soap making, but very excited to try this recipe. My question is can u half this recipe or does it mess up the formula? How can you tell by a recipe how big your loaf will turn out ( oz = lbs)

So glad to see this! Question. I’m seeing some who use half water/half goat milk and add cold milk to the oils rather than frozen to the lye mixture. Almost everyone I see uses the frozen milk. Is it personal preference?

Yes! I know many soapers that do it that way. If you are making milk soap and end up with the spots (from fat in the lye solution) this is a great way to avoid that. Make a 50:50 lye:water solution and then add the same amount of milk to the oils. So if you lye solution is 8 oz lye and 8 oz water…you would add 8 oz of milk to the oils.

Well, I don’t usually insulate silicone molds but sometimes I will cpop them to force gel. So I will turn the oven on to about 170, turn it off and then leave the soap in it until it gels. My absolute favorite mold is Bramble Berry’s 10″ silicone loaf mold. It is super easy to use and unmold.